Another religion-inspired tragedy?

Question

(AP) GALVESTON A mother is blaming the devil -- and not her husband -- for severely burning her infant daughter after the two-month-old was placed in a microwave.

Eva Marie Mauldin, the girl's mother, says Satan compelled her 19-year-old husband, Joshua Royce Mauldin, to microwave their daughter on May 10 because the devil disapproved of Joshua's efforts to become a preacher.

A Galveston County grand jury indicted Joshua Mauldin last week on child injury charges. The grand jury had heard evidence that he placed the infant in a motel microwave for 10 to 20 seconds.

The infant remains hospitalized. Police say she suffered burns on the left side of her face and to her left hand.

Eva Mauldin says her husband is not "the monster people are making him out to be."

Eva Mauldin is hoping to be reunited with her daughter, but Child Protective Services is working to have her and her husband's parental rights severed.

A custody hearing for the infant is scheduled for later this week in a Gal

A custody hearing for the infant is scheduled for later this week in a Galveston district court.

There are so many of these... Andrea Yates, Deana Schlosser, the List murders... do you know of others?

Please note that the woman did not microwave the baby - it was her husband, who she is defending. She holds "the devil" responsible, not the man who put her child in a microwave and pushed start.

This is the first link posted ny kyralan: http://www.uchc.edu/ocomm/newsarchive/news04/dec04/religiosity.html

It very well demonstrates my point. I am not trying to blame Christianity or religion, but rather to point out that the culture of religion seems to make bad situations worse when you are dealing with the mentally ill. This article is titled "Religiosity Common Among Mothers Who Kill Children," and while I recognize that the woman in this story is not accused of hurting the child, I wonder how many warning signs passed her by because she just thought it was her husbands religious fervor and not psychosis.

Answer 1

I saw that this morning. How sad. "Denial" is more than a river in Egypt. Unfortunately there are plenty of incidences like this.

Answer 2

I'm sorry, but even if society outed all religions, people like this would just find someone else to blame....
Just because she blames religion or Satan, doesn't make it true or make the situation any better.
That boy needs some extreme medical attention and jail-time and should NEVER be allowed near any babies - EVER!
If I were the judge in that court, even though I am Christian, I would NOT give that child back to either parent.
Mentally disabled is as mentally disabled does.

Answer 3

I could hardly believe that anyone would do this to their beloved little child. I really believe that folks who do this are not sane. They can blame the devil or anyone for their terrible acts toward the innocent but in the end it was they who did the crime. Satan can influence people to do wrong but we have the ultimate chose to do the crime or not. Evil is very real in this world, sad to say and poor little ones suffer. I believe these folks are mentally ill. As we know Andrea Yates was suffering from an extreme depression. These stories make us all feel sick.

Answer 4

Denial just aint a river in Egypt folks.

Was a case in Oz a few months ago when a father did the same thing - only the support the mother gave the father was just as strong. Only Faith wasn't an issue.

Answer 5

Wow. I don't know what to say about that story. It's shameful that people don't take responsibility for their actions. While there is evil in the world, I doubt even Satan would want someone to microwave their baby. It makes me sick even thinking about it, as I have three children of my own, including a 7-month-old. This story makes me very sad.

Answer 6

I can't think of others, but just about any psychopath that is talked to has a similar story. When they were committing autrocities...it was like an out of body experience, like something "took them over".

From my faith, I know that this is not from God, because he is a loving father. However, Satan is the enemy of God and man. Some of these psychos can't explain why they did what they did...so they default that the devil made them do.

I hope this doesn't in your mind reflect on Christianity. True Christianity condemns murder (10 commandments). Christ takes it even further and says if anyone hates their brother they are guilty of murder in their hearts. Christ teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

It may not be fair to judge religion based on the actions of psychopaths and those who abuse the teaching of the religions to justify war. Christ states that his Kingdom is in heaven and in the hearts of his followers. Those who love their neighbors are close to the father.

Answer 7

I suppose it is pointless for the woman to blame her husband because the man is obviously very ill. This is where religion is dangerous, when it becomes entangled with mental illness.
I think it happens a lot because extreme religious beliefs can be mind altering in terrible ways. Blessings to the little one.

Answer 8

"He's not the monster people make him out to be"?

That's a lie.

What has my inner mind retching and gagging over this is based on the physics of microwaves.
A flame burns the outside of material in contact with it. A burn produced by a flame will heal, possibly scarred, but it still leaves the "person" intact.

A microwave "burns" throughout. Microwaves excite certain molecules (most notably water) to high energy levels, releasing heat as they return to to equilibrium.
To be sickeningly blunt, if she has "facial" burns, her brain may be literally cooked.

The term "Monster" is utterly insufficient to describe this animal.

What's his next step? He asks for forgiveness from his "lord" and everything is made right?

I'm sick to death of these moronic fundies who think that devils and hobgoblins are responsible for the so-called "sins" of the world; who completely divest themselves of personal responsibility in the name of "the lord" and who run around trying to force-fit the secular world into their demented little "god is good" fantasy worlds by force of law, microwave ovens and million-man marches, to name just a few.

Totally sick of it.

.

Answer 9

I live near this woman...

They are pretty sure it was the MAN who did this too the baby and not the woman.

Looks as though she is trying to pull a Andrea Yates too get into a hospital.

Answer 10

That is absolutely horrible, I remember reading this earlier and it made me sick. I think that either she is using religion as an excuse, or that she was mentally ill to begin with and religion only contributed as a factor. In other words, she probably could have done the same thing if she was any other religion, or not part of one..

Answer 11

There are many people who have done horrible disgusting acts and used God's name as the one to blame. They are sick people, so very sick.

There are also many incidences where no religion is involved, where the person had absolutely no religious background, like that girl that was mad she had to miss the birthday party to watch her own kid, so she tossed it down the laundry chute and went to the party.